Finding The Winding Path
by 1boo
Summary: A sequel to Finding Bliss, Kaname's suspicions over Shiki's sexuality turn out to be correct. When he finds him kissing Ichijou, the evidence is unquestionable, unlike their futures. ShikixIchijou. shonenai. Choosing your path is hard...


**A/N: Special thanks to everyone who reviewed Finding Bliss. This is the sequel :) I hope you all like it!**

Kaname looked up from his paperwork. The stupid birds wouldn't be quiet. Maybe this was why vampires didn't like being active during the day. You can't think because there are dumb birds chirping non-stop for hours and hours and hours... and hours...

He was pretty aware that it was the lack of sleep talking because really, the bird song would've been kindof nice and soothing if HE DIDN'T HAVE A MOUND OF PAPERWORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE BY THAT NIGHT AND THE DANG BIRDS WERE DISTRACTING HIM!

He caught himself dosing off. Time for a walk. Just around the dorm. Up and down the hall. Or maybe just to the bed that was calling to him. No, no. Down the hall.

In a haze Kaname walked, not running into anything from sheer habit. He was trying to work out something about somebody's modeling contract clashing with class schedule and how he needed to throw family influence around to change the modeling company's photo shoots so that said vampire-student could have enough time to study for upcoming exams. Wow. He was so tired he couldn't even remember which student that was...

He stepped silently down the beautiful staircase. _Huh. Who was it? _Kaname noticed Shiki in the shadow under the staircase.

_Oh that's right. It was Shiki..._

Wait.

Something wrong with that...

Just a sec.

"..."

His tired mind clicked.

_What's Shiki doing here!? If he's after Day Class girls he's in for an unpleasant evening. _Kaname's focus returned as his temper stirred slightly. Then, with this new clarity, he realized two things. One, that Shiki was not alone and, Two: just what Shiki was so busy doing that he didn't sense his Lord's approach.

There was another person with him, not quite as tall. Wrapped protectively in Shiki's long arms, the other's hands holding onto Shiki's shirt in clenched fists as he tilted his face up toward Shiki's own. Their lips were pressed gently together. Shiki's eyes had fluttered closed, his cheeks brushed with a bit of rosy color. When they broke apart for air, Kaname could see how swollen their lips were. Even though this was now very much his business, as he had guessed it would become, at some time or another, Kaname felt more like an outsider who needed to quickly and silently take his leave and back away.

When the two lovers' lips met once again, he recognized the shorter boy in the shadows. It did not come as a surprise, really. But somehow, guessing and seeing the passion before him were very different. It made him feel shocked. And admittedly made him feel a little lonely. Even if he wasn't gay.

Ichijou and Shiki seemed to finally notice him. Actually, Ichijou did first. He started, jumping in first surprise, then fear. Shiki didn't face him. Just looked at him sidelong and looked away, dropping his arms from Ichijou's waist as the boy spun to face Kaname, eyes wide, and resembling a deer in the headlights.

"K-K-Kaname-sama...!" He gulped visibly and nearly looked like he would cry. Shiki still wasn't looking at Kaname.

Kaname rubbed his throbbing head. _Can't deal with this now. Too tired._

"Shiki," he addressed the tall brunette, who's flush had grown. "Come to my rooms after classes are over. Ichijou, come half an hour later."

He turned on his heel and left.

Ichijou turned to Shiki and rested his head on his shoulder.

"We have to go?" Shiki asked. Ichijou nodded against his shoulder, warm and comforting. Shiki's arms encircled Ichijou again, resting his head on the other boy's.

"We'll be alright." It was a lie, but Ichijou appreciated it.

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Shiki knocked on the large, rather imposing wooden doors to Kaname's private rooms.

"Come in, please."

Shiki stepped over the threshold with a nod to Ichijou, who was leaning on the wall beside the doorframe. They'd come together. What else as there to do?

Kaname surveyed Shiki's face. Dark circles framed the boys tired, worried eyes. He still wouldn't look at Kaname. The pureblood decided not to push him. It looked like Shiki had gotten as much sleep as Kaname had: nearly none.

"Do you understand why you're here?" Kaname knew he had to be perfectly clear. There where several ways about this, and there was only one he wanted.

"I-I do, Kaname-sama." His eyes still did not meet Kaname's. Kaname walked over to look out the window, not really focusing at the night outside, all the birds asleep.

"You love him...?"

"Yes."

"Then," Kaname spun around to face him. Shiki's eyes dropped in his shame, and at his boldness.

"You may look at me." Kaname caught and held Shiki's eyes with his own fathomless dark ones. Shiki wasn't sure what he saw there. Kaname continued.

"Then what right do I have," Kaname turned back to the window and looked down at his own pale hands, and out into the black unknown where he knew Yuuki would be. "To ask you to part." he closed his eyes and forced back his weakness, the sadness that rose up within him. Behind him he heard Shiki take a sharp breath of surprise. He let the pause go on, taking the time to let both of them master themselves.

When he turned back, his visage was closed and unreadable. "You will understand that this is to stay a secret." he looked to the side, at all his paperwork that he waded through to keep the school running and everyone happy and able to do what they wanted — and needed.

"Even among us vampires, being attracted to the same sex is considered taboo. It is the same with most humans." He paused, then appeared to change the subject. "Where's Ichijou?"

"Outside the door, Kaname-sama." His voice held a small tremor, hardly believing. Kaname strode over to the door, opened it, and beckoned, surprising Ichijou out of his thoughts. He nervously followed his Lord and friend, who hopefully still considered him one.

Ichijou was scared because he would not deny it, and it was reflected, that love that filled him up. It wasn't fair that it was for a guy. Not fair. But it was reflected everywhere he looked. It was in those magazines that Shiki had modeled for strewn across his bed. It was in the moonlight, in the air, in the shonen-ai mangas, it was in Shiki's eyes, in his scent, and Ichijou knew it was in himself and somehow was him at the same time, illogically and completely crazy.

But when he saw Shiki he knew it would be alright, just as the boy had said, because he knew every curve of Shiki's body, every expression. So he knew that whatever had happened, whatever Kaname said was ok. His stoic expression fell, replaced with relief and sheer exhaustion.

He came to stand by Shiki, the place wanted to be forever. And now, maybe (maybe maybe) he could. The thought was comforting, like hot chocolate and a good manga on a Saturday. He shuffled closer.

"If you don't want people to notice, that's not the way to go about it Ichijou." Shiki's voice was even more comforting. Ichijou looked at Kaname, still a bit confused.

"If this is what you want, both of you..." Kaname sighed. He turned back to the window with longing, but forced himself to turn back. "I wish you luck." His voice was very quiet, and the two other boys saw a flash of something that seemed alien in their Lord's eyes, yet oddly familiar. "You've chosen a hard path to walk." His eyes were shadowed. Nearly haunted.

"Love..." _A long, twisting path._

A girl's laugh fluttered up to reach them. Kaname knew exactly who that laugh belonged to.

"You may go." he smiled. Watching the door shut behind them, he whispered.

"But in the end, I envy you."

They didn't hear.

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**A/N — Yay! Done! I don't have another sequel idea, so this is the only one :)** **I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Cheers,**

**pandafoot**

**review, please :)**


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